A plain Friday night feels very different when dinner includes as much snow crab and slow-roasted prime rib as you are ready to handle.
This central Iowa steakhouse is making that happen throughout September 2026.
Inside Prairie Meadows in Altoona, the dining room shifts away from the energy of the surrounding casino, racetrack, and hotel complex and into classic steakhouse mode.
The big reason to go right now is the Friday buffet.
From 4 PM to 8 PM every Friday in September, AJ’s Steakhouse is serving an all-you-can-eat spread built around snow crab legs and slow-roasted prime rib. The regular dinner menu remains available too.
That means you can come specifically for crab or still order one of the restaurant’s familiar steaks, Steak De Burgo, seafood plates, salads, and desserts.
For anyone near Des Moines looking to turn an ordinary September Friday into a proper night out, this Iowa steakhouse has given the calendar a very good excuse.
A Quiet Dining Room Inside A Racing And Hotel Complex
The name on the door is AJ’s Steakhouse, and the first surprise is the setting itself.
Prairie Meadows is known around here for horse racing and a constantly humming hotel, so finding a hushed, candle-dim dining room tucked inside the building caught me off guard.
The entrance sits just off the main corridor, and the noise drops away the moment the doors swing shut behind you.
Carpet, low lighting, and dark wood do most of the heavy lifting, and tables sit far enough apart that you can actually hear the person across from you.
I appreciate that the place never tries to be fashionable. It reads as a classic American steakhouse, built around beef, seafood, and a handful of comfort plates for guests who skip red meat.
Parking is free and plentiful, and the walk from the lot to the host stand takes barely two minutes.
If you are mapping the trip, the address is 1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IA 50009, just east of Des Moines.
Hotel guests can reach the dining room without ever stepping outside, which matters a great deal in January.
That convenience alone makes it a dependable pick for travelers passing through.
The Bread Basket That Starts The Meal
Bread still makes an appearance here, but the exact basket has changed enough over the years that I would not arrive expecting one specific lineup.
Longtime diners remember pretzel bread and cinnamon-raisin bread especially fondly, while more recent visits show that the selection and butter service can vary.
That is worth knowing because older descriptions of AJ’s often make the bread basket sound almost as fixed as the steak menu.
Whatever arrives, the smarter move is still to pace yourself.
Entrées run substantial, and September’s all-you-can-eat crab and prime rib buffet makes filling up on bread before dinner an especially questionable strategy.
Use the bread as something to nibble while you settle in and study the menu rather than treating the basket like the first course.
The steakhouse has changed little details over time, and bread service is one of them.
Come hungry for what follows and consider anything warm from the bread basket a bonus.
The Friday Crab And Prime Rib Buffet Is The September Headliner
September gives AJ’s Steakhouse a much bigger reason to visit than an ordinary steak dinner.
Every Friday during the month, the restaurant is serving an all-you-can-eat Prime Rib and Crab Legs Buffet from 4 PM to 8 PM.
Snow crab legs share the spotlight with AJ’s slow-roasted prime rib, giving the buffet a true surf-and-turf feel rather than making seafood an afterthought.
The spread also includes classic accompaniments and desserts, so this is meant to function as a full dinner rather than a single endless tray of crab.
It is dine-in only, and the regular dinner menu remains available for anyone at the table who would rather order à la carte.
AJ’s stays open until 10 PM on Fridays, although the buffet itself ends at 8 PM.
Reservations are a smart move because a limited September-only buffet built around crab legs and prime rib can make Friday dinner busier than usual.
If the all-you-can-eat feast is the reason for your trip, arrive comfortably before 8 PM and confirm the current details when you reserve.
For September 2026, this is the feature that deserves top billing.
Steak De Burgo, A Local Specialty Worth Trying
Steak De Burgo is one of the dishes that gives a central Iowa steakhouse a sense of place.
The specialty is closely associated with Des Moines, although local food history still debates exactly which old restaurant created it first.
Different kitchens make their versions differently, with some leaning toward butter and herbs while others use a creamy sauce.
AJ’s takes the creamy route.
Its current Filet De Burgo starts with an eight-ounce filet mignon and finishes it with a white wine and garlic cream sauce.
That makes the dish rich, savory, and unmistakably different from ordering the same filet with nothing more than steak seasoning.
Visitors from outside Iowa also get to try something with genuine Des Moines roots instead of a steak they could order almost anywhere.
If you want one entrée that connects the meal directly to central Iowa food tradition, this is the most obvious choice on the regular menu.
Starters That Set The Tone
Appetizers can either build momentum or ruin your appetite, especially in a steakhouse where the main course already runs large.
The Baked Italian Stuffed Mushrooms remain one of the more distinctive starters. Graziano Italian sausage and mozzarella give them a clear local connection and plenty of richness.
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail keeps things simple with the restaurant’s house-made cocktail sauce.
Crab Cakes are another current option, built with jumbo lump crab and Cajun aioli.
Hand-Breaded Fried Mozzarella, onion rings, calamari, and Steak Bruschetta round out the current starter lineup.
The old spinach dip no longer appears on the regular menu, so do not build your order around memories of an earlier version of AJ’s.
My advice is still one appetizer for every two people.
That becomes even more important on September buffet nights, when snow crab and prime rib are waiting just beyond the first course.
The stuffed mushrooms remain my pick when I want something that feels especially tied to the area.
Soups And Salads Get Real Attention Here
Most steakhouses could get away with treating soup and salad as a formality, but AJ’s gives both sections enough personality to matter.
Lobster Bisque remains one of the restaurant’s most recognizable starters, served rich and smooth with a hint of brandy in the recipe.
French Onion Soup brings caramelized onions, croutons, smoked provolone, and Swiss cheese together in a familiar steakhouse bowl.
The Caesar keeps things classic with romaine, AJ’s Caesar dressing, Parmesan, croutons, and a Parmesan crisp.
That crisp adds texture, though current menu wording does not promise that the entire salad arrives inside an edible Parmesan bowl.
The Wedge stays equally traditional with iceberg lettuce, blue cheese, applewood bacon, pecans, and dried cranberries.
AJ’s Creamy Parmesan is one of the current house dressing choices and pairs naturally with the restaurant’s standard side salad.
A soup or salad can still be a good opening move, but keep the rest of dinner in mind before ordering both.
On a crab-and-prime-rib buffet night, restraint at the beginning has obvious advantages.
Plates For Guests Who Skip The Beef
Not everyone at the table wants steak or prime rib, and the current menu gives those diners more than one fallback.
The Center Cut Boneless Iowa Pork Chop is one of the strongest alternatives, served with house-made apple chutney.
Chicken Fettuccine keeps things familiar with grilled chicken, garlic cream sauce, Parmesan, and vegetables.
Seared Salmon currently comes with mango salsa, giving seafood diners a lighter direction than fried shrimp or a lobster add-on.
AJ’s Fried Chicken remains part of the menu too, served with steak fries and garden slaw.
Panko Fried Shrimp brings six jumbo shrimp with the restaurant’s cocktail sauce, while sea bass appears among the more premium seafood choices.
A petite lobster tail is currently offered as a seafood add-on rather than being one of the main standard entrées.
The kitchen still leans heavily toward beef, which is exactly what you expect from a steakhouse.
Still, a mixed group does not have to order around one person’s decision to skip red meat.
Desserts Built For Splitting Or Boxing Up
By the time the main plates clear, ordering dessert can feel wildly optimistic.
Do it carefully anyway, because AJ’s continues to put real attention into the final course.
Citrus Crème Brûlée remains one of the restaurant’s most frequently praised desserts, with the brittle sugar top giving way to a soft custard underneath.
The Chocolate Fantasy Cake is another current favorite, combining rich chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, Snickers pieces, and whipped cream.
Cheesecakes and other desserts change with special menus and seasons, so the exact selection is worth checking when you sit down.
Recent 2026 menus have also featured chocolate lava cake, lemon blueberry cheesecake, and strawberry shortcake at different times.
Splitting dessert makes plenty of sense after a steak dinner.
It makes even more sense after an all-you-can-eat crab and prime rib buffet.
If something catches your eye and your appetite has already surrendered, getting dessert boxed for later is a perfectly respectable ending.
Dim Lighting And A Big Night Out Feeling
Lighting shapes a dinner more than most people realize, and AJ’s still leans toward the relaxed steakhouse side of the spectrum.
Dark finishes, comfortable seating, and a quieter dining room separate the restaurant from the busier Prairie Meadows spaces outside its doors.
Couples celebrate anniversaries here, families mark birthdays, and groups use the restaurant when they want dinner to feel more substantial than an ordinary casual stop.
The official dress code is casual, so there is no requirement to arrive dressed formally.
Plenty of guests still choose to dress up a little for a date or celebration, but jeans are not going to violate a house rule.
The restaurant has also changed some presentation details over the years, including moving away from the tablecloth-heavy look some longtime diners remember.
Midweek evenings can feel quieter, while Friday and Saturday naturally pick up more energy.
September buffet Fridays are likely to be a different story again.
The atmosphere remains polished enough for a night out without asking you to treat dinner like a formal event.
How The Service Actually Works
Attentive without hovering is the rhythm AJ’s aims for on a good night.
Water glasses get filled, plates move away between courses, and celebrations like anniversaries and birthdays are a familiar part of the dining room.
Large groups can be accommodated too, with a separate private dining program available for bigger occasions.
Like any steakhouse, one of the most important service moments happens when the meat reaches the table.
Current guest feedback includes plenty of praise for properly cooked steaks, along with occasional complaints about temperature misses.
My practical advice is to check the center of your steak early and politely speak up if it is not cooked the way you requested.
The staff has also earned praise for responding to problems and helping make special occasions feel more personal.
Ratings vary considerably depending on which review platform you use, so I would not reduce the entire experience to one fixed star average.
The broader picture is a long-running steakhouse where service earns plenty of compliments but is not immune to a busy or imperfect night.
Hours, Reservations, And The Best Nights To Go
Planning matters here because AJ’s is not open seven days a week.
Current regular hours are 4 PM to 9 PM on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
Friday and Saturday run from 4 PM to 10 PM, while Monday and Tuesday are closed.
Reservations are officially recommended, and calling ahead becomes especially sensible for holidays, event nights, and the September crab buffet.
Throughout September 2026, the all-you-can-eat Prime Rib and Crab Legs Buffet runs every Friday from 4 PM to 8 PM.
The full regular dinner menu remains available from 4 PM to 10 PM on those Fridays.
Wednesday and Thursday have their own midweek specials, but they are separate from the crab buffet promised in the headline.
If snow crab legs are the reason you are going, Friday is the night that matters.
Book a table, arrive before the buffet winds down, and an ordinary September evening suddenly has a much better dinner plan.